In Ghana, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, a member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to explain in detail how 49.72 million Ghanaian cedis were spent on evacuating 1,900 citizens of the country from the Republic of South Africa. This was reported by MyJoyOnline.
Call for accountability
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story programme on September 7, Jinapor said the authorities’ decision to protect Ghanaians caught amid renewed xenophobic attacks had been necessary. According to him, the parliamentary minority supported the government and other responders when the crisis, which he described as alarming, arose.
At the same time, the politician stressed that evacuation expenses must be properly accounted for and public spending must be transparent and efficient. He noted that citizens’ lives cannot be measured in money, but this does not eliminate the need to disclose the cost structure.
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Cost structure
Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said that 38.84 million Ghanaian cedis had been allocated for charter flights, air tickets, ground transportation, food, accommodation and medical assistance for evacuated citizens.
Another 10.80 million cedis were spent on reintegration support and transport allowances. Separately, 84,274 cedis were allocated to return the bodies of two deceased citizens to Ghana.
According to Jinapor, the figures released by the government indicate average spending of about 25,000 cedis, or around $2,200, per evacuated person. He explained that this calculation was not an attempt to put a price on the lives of those rescued, but demonstrated the need for more detailed financial information. Jinapor called on the Foreign Ministry to publish a detailed report, believing this would comply with the principles of transparency and good governance.
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